Who we are

The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is a nonprofit criminal justice organization that strives to build just government institutions and safe communities free from the scourge of racism, white supremacy, profit, and inequity that is pervasive in this country’s legal systems. We are an “inside” lane organization that drives change at scale with ambitious public sector leaders who share our commitment to building anti-racist, reparative systems that deliver justice. We leverage our access to government to transform these systems and work collaboratively with stakeholders across many movements—including advocacy, grassroots, and grassroots organizations. Our role is to pilot solutions that are transformative and achievable, harness the power of evidence to drive effective policy and practice, and use advocacy and communications to change narratives and norms.

 Vera has a staff of almost 300 people and offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We expect our staff to embody respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, anti-racism, and equity—both in our outward-facing work and the internal culture of our workplace. We value a range of experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to apply.

Who you are

Support research and program staff to build evidence of the SAFE Initiative’s impact and to advance the mission of government-funded legal counsel for all immigrants facing deportation. In this role, the research analyst will work with the support, mentorship, and supervision from a senior researcher to prepare the statistics and infographics for program reports (like quarterly and annual reports produced as part of the SAFE Initiative), to conduct background research and literature reviews, and will collaborate with team members to advance CIJ and the SAFE Initiative’s goals by actively engaging in team meetings and contributing to a collegial workplace. Additionally, the research analyst should support efforts to ensure Vera’s race equity and inclusion priorities are a core aspect of Vera’s research.  

In this role, you will:

1. Clean, manage, code, and Analyze data from the SAFE Initiative’s programs and publicly available data to produce quarterly and annual reports, and advocacy documents that present program statistics.

2. Present data in reports and documents in visually appealing ways, through data visualizations and infographics using statistical software like R or Stata.

3. Play a supporting role in writing of research reports, advocacy documents, and talking points that will be shared with government partners, funders, and the general public.

4. Conduct background research and produce literature reviews by reading and summarizing existing research on selected topics and distilling key findings into written communications to share with the team.

5. Communicate with partners in local jurisdictions throughout the US, including helping onboard jurisdictions joining the SAFE initiative in the data collection processes and, continuing to being in contact with members of the SAFE Initiative about data entry and processes, among other communications. 

6. Devote time to one’s own professional development, where there will be support from your supervisor and Vera, by proactively working to build skills in familiar statistical software programs, learning entirely new statistical software programs, and learning new data analysis methods.

What qualifications do you need?

Required:

• 1+ years of work experience in a related field, or a Bachelor’s Degree   
• Experience conducting basic statistical analyses using SPSS, R, Stata, or similar programs. Experienced with Microsoft Office. Experience with or ability to learn Tableau, Adobe InDesign, or similar programs, and experience with or ability to learn SQL. 
• A demonstrated interest in research, a demonstrated commitment to race and ethnic equity, and a lived experience in immigration matters and/or immigration research. 

Preferred:

• 1 – 2 years of work experience in quantitative research  

List of Required Software applications: 

• Proficiency in one or more of the following programs: SPSS, STATA, R, or similar. Experienced with Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel. Experience with SQL preferred, but not required if able to learn while on the job.  

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: Human Resources / Research Analyst, SAFE Initiative
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

As a federal contractor, and in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Vera Institute of Justice is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.

Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.  All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status. 

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission. 

For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org